Coin operated lock for drawerlike vending apparatus

ABSTRACT

The coin operated mechanism comprises a horizontally disposed, upstanding, elongated boxlike housing having a slotted guide portion rectilinearly disposed in one of the elongated sides operable to carry a guide rod of a drawer or similar article, and an operating mechanism closure including a coin operating mechanism carried by the housing. The operating mechanism includes a latching member normally lying athwart the guide rod. An operating rod having one of its terminal ends extending through the closure and its other terminal end slidably carried by a support means in the closure is suitably connected to a lever arm pivotally connected at one of its terminal ends to the lowermost terminal end of the latching means. Hence, when the operating rod is moved rearwardly the latching means is caused to be depressed. The housing is provided with a coin entranceway which is contiguous with an upstanding coin chute in the closure. A locking means is pivotally mounted in the closure above the operating rod. A coin exitway is provided in the operating rod below the locking member. When a coin is in the chute the locking member is cammed upwardly over the coin and the operating rod may be manually moved rearwardly to cause the latching means normally athwart the guide rod to be depressed. A stop suitably fastened in the housing in front of the locking means will prevent rearward movement of the operating rod when no coin is in the chute. The closure is normally locked in the housing by a commonly known barrel lock.

United States Patent [72] Inventor Raymond M. Terry 1 1 ll Aladdin Ave., San Leandro, Calif. 94577 [2]] Appl. No. 9,773

[22] Filed Feb. 9, 1970 [45] Patented Aug.3l, 1971 [54] COIN OPERATED LOCK FOR DRAWERLIKE Primary Examiner-Robert B. Reeves Assistant ExaminerDavid A. Scherbel AttorneyJohn W. Kraft ABSTRACT: The coin operated mechanism comprises a horizontally disposed, upstanding, elongated boxlike housing having a slotted guide portion rectilinearly disposed in one of the elongated sides operable to carry a guide rod of a drawer or similar article, and an operating mechanism closure including a coin operating mechanism carried by the housing. The operating mechanism includes a latching member normally lying athwart the guide rod. An operating rod having one of its terminal ends extending through the closure and its other terminal end slidably carried by a support means in the closure is suitably connected to a lever arm pivotally connected at one of its terminal ends to the lowermost terminal end of the latching means. Hence, when the operating rod is moved r'earwardly the latching means is caused to be depressed. The housing is provided with a coin entranceway which is contiguous with an upstanding coin chute in the closure. A locking means is pivotally mounted in the closure above the operating rod. A coin exitway is provided in the operating rod below the locking member. When a coin is in the chute the locking member is cammed upwardly over the coin and the operating rod may be manually moved rearwardly to cause the latching means normally athwart the guide rod to be depressed. A stop suitably fastened in the housing in front of the locking means will prevent rearward movement of the operating rod when no coin is in the chute. The closure is normally locked in the housing by a commonly known barrel I lock.

PATENTEU AUG31 197i SHEET 1 [If 4 FIG. I

RAYMOND M. TERRY INVENTOR.

PATENTEU M1831 l97i 3.602.351

SHEEI 2 [IF 4 FIG. 3

FIG. 4

RAYMOND M. TERRY INVENTOR.

PATENTEU AUB3I |97| SHEET 3 OF 4 FIG. 5

FIG. 6

RAYMOND M. TERRY T R- PATENTEB W831 IHH SHEET 0F 4 lrllll IllllllllllllllllllllllIlllllll III FIG. 7"

RAYMOND M. TERRY INVENTOR.

COIN OPERATED LOCK FOR DRAWERLIKE VENDING APPARATUS 1. Field of Invention The present invention relates to coin operated mechanisms and more particularly to coin operated mechanisms adapted to unlatch a drawerlike vending apparatus operable to be pulled outwardly on a slide or the like in response to a coin being inserted into the coin operated mechanism. 2. Brief Description of the Prior Art Coin operated vending mechanisms generally known in the prior art usually include an upstanding coin chute in cooperative association with an unlatching device to unlatch a door or closure member about articles to be merchandised therefrom in response to camming action of the coin. A coin or coins are put through an entranceway disposed near the uppermost terminal end of the coin chute and drop by gravity therethrough. A pivotally mounted pawl lying athwart the passageway of the chute is cast out of the passageway by the impingement of the coin dropping through the chute. The coin usually comes to rest on a hingedly mounted latch which is connected to the closure member. Since the pawl member athwart the chute restrains the coin from moving upwardly in the chute, the bingedly mounted latch is caused to be articulated downwardly by the camming action of the coin when the closure is pulled open, thereby causing the latch member to move out of the path of a retaining ledge to an unlatched position to permit the opening of the closure member. Typical of such apparatus is taught by US. Letters Patent 2,925,898 issued Feb. 23, 1960, to Raymond M. Terry, the inventor herein.

Such coin operated mechanisms are not readily adapted to closures such as drawers and the like because of the physical vertical arrangement of the apparatus and because the entranceway for coins must necessarily be toward the rearwardmost portion of a drawer with respect to the front access portion of the drawer closure.

Accordingly, it is an important object of the present invention to provide a coin operated mechanism having the operating component horizontally disposed with respect to forwardly and rearwardly movement of a drawerlike closure of a vending machine apparatus to which the coin operating-mechanism is operatively attached and to provide an entranceway for coins adjacent the forwardmost portion of the apparatus.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved coin operating mechanism for drawerlike closures that is simple in construction and dependable in operation.

While the preferred embodiment herein later set out is disclosed in the environment of a stadium'seat of the type and character taught by the copending application for United States Letters Patent of Larry D. McKean, it is to be understood that the present invention may be used and adapted to any drawerlike closure which may be employed to dispense articles of merchandise in a vending machine.

Generally, the coin operated mechanism taught by this invention comprises a rectangular boxlike housing; and a coin operating assembly closure including a barrel lock insertable in the housing to form a locked boxlike coin receiving mechanism. The housing portion is provided with a coin entranceway at the forwardmost portion thereof disposed above the coin operating assembly, and a slotted guide portion in one of the terminal sides thereof adjacent the entranceway, the guide portion being operable to receive guide rods carrying a drawerlike closure of a vending apparatus operatively associated with the coin operating mechanism of the invention.

The coin operating assembly closure includes a latching member normally in the path of the guide rod portion carrying the drawerlike closure of the vending apparatus. That is to say the latching member is normally .disposed in the housing between the sidewalls thereof adjacent the slotted guide portion, and is upwardly projecting through a slot in the assembly from the closure of the coin operating assembly into the uppermost portion of the housing. The latching member is carried by a lever pivotally mounted to the operating frame of the mechanism. The operating frame is slidably carried in a pair of upstanding supports suitably fastened to the coin operating assembly closure. A locking pawl is hingedly mounted to the sidewalls of the coin operating assembly closure and is disposed below and rearwardly of the coin entranceway in the housing. A retaining ledge engageable with forwardmost nose portion of the locking member is suitably fastened to the operating frame of the coin operating assembly. The slidable operating frame is provided with an operating rod portion disposed at one of the terminal ends of the frame and extending outwardly through an opening in a terminal endwall of the coin operating assembly. That is to say the terminal end of the operating rod portion is exposed out of the coin operating assembly closure and accessible for manually operating the assembly when the assembly is inserted in the housing. The operating rod is manually operable to slide the frame forwardly and rearwardly in response to movement of the rod portion. When there is no coin in the slidable operating frame and the operating rod portion is pushed rearwardly in the housing, the nose of the locking pawl is impinged by the retaining ledge of the slidable operation frame to limit the rearward movement of the frame. Hence, the latching member is caused to remain in its normally upwardly projecting position in the housing to prevent the forward movement of a guide rod carrying a drawerlike closure of the vending apparatus.

The slidable operating frame of the coin operating assembly comprised a U-shaped troughlike portion disposed below the coin entranceway in the housing and is operable to receive a coin from the entranceway. A coin deposited through the entranceway into the troughlike portion is retained therein by the locking pawl. A slotted exitway in the lowermost terminal side of the frame is disposed below the pawl to permit passage of the coin therethrough when the pawl is moved out of the path of the coin. When a coin is in the frame and the operating rod is manually pushed rearwardly, the coin caused the locking pawl to be cammed upwardly over the coin and out of the path of the ledge on the frame, thereby permitting the frame to slide rearwardly and to permit the coin to drop through the exitway into the coin operating assembly. The lever arm is urged rearwardly by the slideable operating frame to pivotally move the latching member downwardly out of the path of the guide rod carrying the drawerlike closure of the vending apparatus, thereby permitting the closure to be moved forwardly in the slotted guide portion of the hosing. The latching member, in its downward position is caused to fall forwardly against a stop 'member provided in the coin operating assembly disposed forwardly of the latching slot in the housing. Hence, the latching member is retained in the operating assembly closure. The latching member is provided with a studlike dog portion at the rearwardmost upper terminal end portion which projects through the slot of the coin operating assembly closure when the latching member is in its retracted position as above described. When the guide rods carrying the drawerlike closure of the vending apparatus in the slotted guides of the housing moved rearwardly, the rod engages the studlike dog of the latching member, causing the latching member to be moved rearwardly, to permit the latching member to move upwardly through the slot in the coin operating assembly closure and into the housing.

A more comprehensive understanding of the present invention may be had and other andfurther objects shall become apparent to those skilled in the art from the detailed description of the preferred embodiment when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification.

. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of the present invention in the environment of a drawerlike stadium seat locked in position by the coin operated mechanism of this invention beneath a commonly known stadium seat.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the housing andthe coin operating assembly closure of the invention as viewed from the left front.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional elevational view of the coin operated mechanism with the left sidewalls of the housing and the coin operating assembly closure removed to show operating assemblies.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional plan view of the operating assemblies of the invention taken along the lines 4-4 of the FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional elevational view of the present invention with the right sidewalls of the housing and the coin operating assembly removed to show the operating assemblies of of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a view similar to that shown in FIG. 5, but showing the operating assemblies at a different stage of operation.

FIG. 7 is a view similar to that shown in FIG 5 and 6, but at a further stage of operation and shows the guide rod carrying the stadium seat being returned to its normal storage position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawings and more particularly to FIG. 1, the coin operated mechanism of the present invention is generally shown and designated by the numeral 10 in the environment of a drawerlike stadium seat 11 shown in dotted lines for illustrative purposes. The stadium seat 11 is shown in its normally locked storage position beneath the commonly known benchlike seat 12 generally employed in sports stadiums and amphitheaters. The seat 11 is carried by a guide rod 13 extended into the respective slotted guide portion 14 provided in the carrier housing 15 suitable mounted to the underside of the benchlike seat 12 and in the slotted guide portion 16 of the housing 17 of the coin operated mechanism 10 of the present invention, which is similarly fastened to the benchlike seat 12. The drawerlike seat 12 is provided with a pair of spring load carrier studs 18 and 19 disposed at the opposite sides of the seat 12 at the forward terminal side of the seat 12 opposite the guide rod 13. The carrier studs 13 are carried by the respective slotted guide portions 14 and 16 to detents provided at the terminal ends of the respective slotted guides which are operable to depress the carrier studs inwardly so that they may be moved into and out of the respective slotted guide portions 14 and 16 in response to movement past the detent of the forwardmost terminal edge of the seat 12. A detent 20 in the slotted guide portion 16 of the sidewall of the housing 17 is shown to advantage in FIG. 2.

FIG. 2 shows to advantage the housing 17 and the coin operating assembly closure 21 of the coin operated mechanism of this invention. A barrel lock 22 is provided in the closure 21 at the forwardmost terminal endwall of the closure 21. A lock retaining leaf 23 is suitable mounted to the sidewall of the housing 17 which is engageable with the barrel lock 22 when the closure 21'is inserted in the housing 17. A slotted coin entranceway 24 is provided in the forwardmost terminal endwall of the housing 17. A pair of parallel upstanding coin guides 25 are juxtapositioned in the housing 17 contiguous with the terminal sides of the entranceway 24. The coin guides 25 are shown to advantage in the FIG. 3. A pair of matching slots 26 and 26' are provided in the respective adjacent mating walls of the housing 17 and the closure 21. A raised coin stop portion 28 is provided at the intermost terminal end of the slot 26 between the coin guides 25 operable to stop the forward travel of a coin inserted through the entranceway 24 of the housing 17. A latching member 27 is provided in the coin operating assembly and extends through a slot 27' in the uppermost terminal wall of the coin operating assembly closure 21 and into the housing 17. The latching member 27 is normally in the path ofthe guide rod 13 carrying the seat 12 in the slotted guide 26 of the housing 17 as shown to advantage in the FIG, 5.

The coin operating assembly of the present invention includes an operating framed assembly generally designated by the numeral 29 slidably carried by a pair of parallel ups tandin g supports 30 suitably fastened to the closure 21. The supports 30 are spaced apart by a guide plate 31 shown by a dotted line in the drawings. The operating frame assembly 29 rides on top of the plate 31 between the upstanding supports 30. The frame assembly 29 comprises a carrier portion 32 carried by the plate 31, a pair of parallel coin receiving arms 33, and an operating arm 34 having one of its terminal ends suitably fastened between the coin receiving arms 33 and its opposite terminal end extending through the terminal endwall of the coin operating assembly closure 21. The operating frame assembly 29 is provided with a spring 35 suitably fastened at one of its terminal ends to the carrier portion 32 and at its opposite terminal end to the closure 21. The spring 35 tends to urge the operating frame assembly 29 forwardly with respect to the forwardmost terminal endwall of the closure 21.

The latching member 27 is carried by a lever 36 hingedly mounted at one of its terminal ends to the latching member 27 and pivotally mounted to the upstanding support 30. The opposite terminal end of the lever 36 is provided with a yoke 37 engageable with a studlike pin 38 carried by the carrier portion 32 of the operating frame assembly 29. When the operating arm 34 and consequently the operating frame assembly 29 are manually moved rearwardly as hereinafter later described, the lever arm 36 is caused to be moved rearwardly by the pin 38 carried by the carrier member 32 in the yoke 37 of the lever 36 and to articulated about its axis on the pivotal mounting in the upstanding support 30 to cause the latching member 27 to be moved downwardly through the slot 27' out of the path of the guide rod 13 carrying the seat 12 in the slotted guide 16 of the housing 17 as shown to advantage in the FIG. 6. A stop member 39 is suitable fastened to the uppermost wall of the coin operating assembly closure 21 and is disposed forwardly with respect to the coin entranceway 24 to the slot 27 of the closure 21.'Therefore, when the operating rod 34 is released the forwardmost terminal end of the latching member comes to rest on the uppermost wall of the closure 21 between the stop 39 and the terminal end of the slot 27 as shown to advantage in FIG. 7. The latching member 27 is provided with a studlike dog member 40 at the opposite terminal edge with respect to the closure wall engaging portion. The dog member 40 extends through the slot 27 when the latching member 27 is in its downwardly at rest position with its opposite terminal end against the uppermost wall of the closure 21 and the stop 39. When the guide rod 13 carrying the seat 12 in the slotted guide 16 of the housing 17 is moved rearwardly, the rod 13 engages the dog 40 to move the latching member 27 rearwardly and through the slot 27' to latch the rod 13 and consequently the seat 12 in its normal storage position as shown in the FIG. 5.

A coin operating mechanism locking member 41 is axially mounted on a pin 42 suitably fastened to the closure 21. The locking member 41 is disposed at an angle in the closure 21. A stop member 43, shown to advantage in FIG. 3, is carried by the coin receiving arms 33 of the operating frame assembly 29. When the operating arm 34 of the frame assembly 29 is manually pushed inwardly, the stop member 43 is urged against the nose portion generally shown at 44 on the locking member 41 to stop the rearward movement of the operating frame assembly 29 and consequently the movement of the latching member 27, thereby consequently the movement of the latching member 27, thereby preventing release of the guide rod 13 carrying the seat 12 in the slotted guide portion 16 in the housing 17.

Referring now to the FIGS. 5, 6, and 7, a coin inserted through the coin entranceway 24 between the coin guides 25 falls through the mating slots 26 and 26' of the respective walls of the housing 17 and the closure 21 and into the coin receiving arms 33 between the locking member 41 and the forwardmost portion of the arms 33. The locking member 41 is tangentially disposed to the coin. When the operating arm 34 is manually pushed inwardly, the locking member 41 tends to be caused to be cammed upwardly in response to the coin being urged inwardly by the coin receiving arms 33 against the bottom portion of the locking member 41 and the locking member 41 is thereby moved upwardly out of the path of the stop 43. An outwardly projecting arm 41 is provided on one of the sides of the locking member 41 which is engageable with a locking member operating portion 45 carried by the coin receiving arms 33 of the operating frame assembly 29. As the frame assembly 29 is manually moved rearwardly the locking .member operating portion 45 urges the locking member upwardly by the projecting arm 41 and the coin is permitted to pass between coin receiving arms 33 of the operating frame assembly 29, and into the coin operating assembly closure 21. The latching member 27 is consequently operated in response to movement of the operating frame assembly 29 as earlier described and the drawerlike seat 12 may be removed from its stored position as shown in FIG. 1.

Having thus described a preferred embodiment of the invention which includes the teaching and principles therefor, it is to be appreciated and will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many physical changes could be made on the invention without altering the inventive concepts embodied therein. Hence, it is intended that the scope of the invention be limited only to the extent indicated by the appended claims.

I claim 1. In a coin operated mechanism, the combination of a pivotally mounted in said closure above said slotted exitway, said locking means being upwardly inclined with respect to said operating means, a retaining spring connects at one of its terminal ends to the terminal end of said operating means ad- 5 jacent said support means, the opposite terminal end of said horizontally disposed, upstanding elongated boxlike housing having a slotted guide portion rectilinearly disposed in one of the elongate sidewalls of said housing operable to slidably carry a guide rod extended into said housing, latching means in said housing normally lying athwart a guide rod extended through said guide portion and into said housing, a coin entranceway in an adjacent wall of. said housing to said guide portion. said entranceway being near the uppermost terminal edge of said wall with respect to said upstanding housing, an operating assembly closure carried by said housing, said closure including a vertical upstanding coin chute having an open upper terminal end adjacent said coin entranceway in said housing, an operating rod means having one of its terminal ends extendingthrough and carried by an opening in one wall of said closure and the opposite terminal end of said operating rod means slidably carried by a support means mounted in said closure, said operating rod means including a slotted exitway vertically disposed therein operable to permit passage of a coin therethrough an operating mechanism locking means spring being connected to said locking means, a stop means mounted in said closure operable to engage said locking means when said operating means is moved rearwardly and a coin is not contained in said chute, an L-shaped lever arm having a yoke in one of its terminal ends pivotally mounted to said closure, said lever arm having its opposite terminal end pivotally connected to said latching means, said yoke being engaged with a stud carried by said operating rod means, said lever arm being operable to move said latching means downwardly in response to rearward movement of said operating rod means, said locking means being operable to be cammed upwardly over a coin in said chute to permit rearward movement of said operating rod means and to permit said coin to drop through said exitway in said operating rod means.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 in which the uppermost terminal edge of said latching means issues from one terminal side to the opposite terminal side thereof.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 including a stop mounted forwardly with respect to said latching means in said closure and a ledge portion in said closure extending rearwardly with respect to said stop, said stop and said ledge operable to retain said latching means in a depressed position, the rearwardmost portion of said upwardly issuing terminal edge of said latching means extending upwardly into said housing when retained by said stop and said ledge, said rearwardmost portion being operable to engage a guide rod in response to its rearward movement to disengage from said stop and said ledge and to be returned to its normal position athwart said guide rod.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 in which said support means comprises a pair of upstanding guide members disposed on opposite sides of a plate suitable mounted in said housing, said plate being operable to carry operating rod means.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 including a barrel lock mounted in said closure, a latch hook suitably fastened to said housing, said barrel lock being engageable with said latch hook.

6. The apparatus of claim 4 including a coin stop means mounted in said housing opposite said coin entranceway. 

1. In a coin operaTed mechanism, the combination of a horizontally disposed, upstanding elongated boxlike housing having a slotted guide portion rectilinearly disposed in one of the elongate sidewalls of said housing operable to slidably carry a guide rod extended into said housing, latching means in said housing normally lying athwart a guide rod extended through said guide portion and into said housing, a coin entranceway in an adjacent wall of said housing to said guide portion, said entranceway being near the uppermost terminal edge of said wall with respect to said upstanding housing, an operating assembly closure carried by said housing, said closure including a vertical upstanding coin chute having an open upper terminal end adjacent said coin entranceway in said housing, an operating rod means having one of its terminal ends extending through and carried by an opening in one wall of said closure and the opposite terminal end of said operating rod means slidably carried by a support means mounted in said closure, said operating rod means including a slotted exitway vertically disposed therein operable to permit passage of a coin therethrough an operating mechanism locking means pivotally mounted in said closure above said slotted exitway, said locking means being upwardly inclined with respect to said operating means, a retaining spring connects at one of its terminal ends to the terminal end of said operating means adjacent said support means, the opposite terminal end of said spring being connected to said locking means, a stop means mounted in said closure operable to engage said locking means when said operating means is moved rearwardly and a coin is not contained in said chute, an L-shaped lever arm having a yoke in one of its terminal ends pivotally mounted to said closure, said lever arm having its opposite terminal end pivotally connected to said latching means, said yoke being engaged with a stud carried by said operating rod means, said lever arm being operable to move said latching means downwardly in response to rearward movement of said operating rod means, said locking means being operable to be cammed upwardly over a coin in said chute to permit rearward movement of said operating rod means and to permit said coin to drop through said exitway in said operating rod means.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1 in which the uppermost terminal edge of said latching means issues from one terminal side to the opposite terminal side thereof.
 3. The apparatus of claim 2 including a stop mounted forwardly with respect to said latching means in said closure and a ledge portion in said closure extending rearwardly with respect to said stop, said stop and said ledge operable to retain said latching means in a depressed position, the rearwardmost portion of said upwardly issuing terminal edge of said latching means extending upwardly into said housing when retained by said stop and said ledge, said rearwardmost portion being operable to engage a guide rod in response to its rearward movement to disengage from said stop and said ledge and to be returned to its normal position athwart said guide rod.
 4. The apparatus of claim 3 in which said support means comprises a pair of upstanding guide members disposed on opposite sides of a plate suitable mounted in said housing, said plate being operable to carry operating rod means.
 5. The apparatus of claim 4 including a barrel lock mounted in said closure, a latch hook suitably fastened to said housing, said barrel lock being engageable with said latch hook.
 6. The apparatus of claim 4 including a coin stop means mounted in said housing opposite said coin entranceway. 